Peter D
Willamette Week
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Past articles by Peter:
The PDC Goes to Court to Keep Medical Marijuana Out of Vanport Square
Investing in Vanport Square seemed like a good idea to Marina Zaré. In 2008, Zaré, a chiropractor, took a &u0024;300,000 loan subsidized by the Portland Development Commission to buy a commercial condominium at Vanport Square, a shopping complex the PDC financed along Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Zaré looked smart—she was getting newly constructed … Continue reading The PDC Goes… → Read More
Oregon Marijuana Extract Industry Temporarily Shuts Down Amid Legal Limbo
An Oregon Health Authority announcement that unlicensed production of marijuana concentrates will be considered a felony has effectively shut down Oregon’s extraction industry for more than two weeks. At a March 15 forum hosted by the Oregon Cannabis Association at Refuge PDX, marijuana business owners were surprised to learn that, under a state law that … Continue reading Oregon Marijuana… → Read More
Bullseye Glass Violated State Rules When Disposing of Radioactive Waste
Bullseye Glass Co. was ordered to pay &u0024;6,734 for improperly disposing of radioactive waste two years ago, court records show. Bullseye sent a waste shipment that included refractory, a radioactive substance used in glass manufacturing, to a Northwest Portland industrial recycling plant—a violation of state rules. The waste posed little threat to human health. But … Continue reading… → Read More
Oregon Health Authority Says Arsenic and Cadmium Pose Little Threat to Portlanders
The emissions of arsenic and cadmium from two glass factories do not pose a serious health risk to Portland residents, Oregon Health Authority officials announced Wednesday. “Gardening in the vicinity of Bullseye Glass, including growing and consuming your own produce in nearby soil, can be done with no significant risk to health,” state toxicologist David … Continue reading Oregon Health… → Read More
First Test Results Show High Cadmium and Arsenic in Kids Living Near Bullseye Glass
Libby Borte’s 3-year-old daughter didn’t understand why her parents wanted to collect her urine. “She was upset we wanted to take her pee to the doctor,” Borte says. “After a long, tearful preschooler conversation about ‘pee belongs in the toilet’ and ‘is there something wrong with me?’ she agreed to send it in.” The Borte … Continue reading First Test Results Show High Cadmium and Arsenic in… → Read More
Bernie Sanders’ Son is an Oregon Duck
News writer Peter D’Auria was born and mostly raised in Portland. He is a graduate of Oberlin College, where he was a double major in creative writing and neuroscience. Until recently he was a cheesemonger by trade. → Read More
Mayoral Candidates (Eight of Them) Debate
The debate was on after all. On Monday night, a Portland mayoral debate was resurrected hours after being canceled by The Oregonian, with eight candidates gathered onstage at Revolution Hall. With WW’s Beth Slovic, Street Roots’ Israel Bayer, and Jefferson Smith moderating, the debate had a casual atmosphere. Ted Wheeler, with his neatly combed hair … Continue reading Mayoral Candidates (Eight… → Read More
Bill to Protect Officer Who Killed LaVoy Finicum “Probably Not Going Anywhere”
The public may learn who killed LaVoy Finicum sooner than expected. Oregon’s House Bill 4087, which would allow law enforcement officers who used deadly force to keep their identities secret, is unlikely to leave the Senate. “It’s probably not going anywhere,” Rick Osborn, spokesperson for the Senate Democrats, tells WW. Introduced after militant LaVoy Finicum’s … Continue reading Bill to… → Read More
Federal Judge Denies Release For Ammon Bundy and Five Others
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman denied Ammon and Ryan Bundy release from Multnomah County Jail at a detention hearing today. The Bundys, along with eight other co-defendants, appeared this afternoon in federal court in Portland for their role in the occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Judge Beckerman determined that the Bundys—along with co-defendants … Continue reading… → Read More
Ammon Bundy Is Crowdsourcing Bail Money
Ammon Bundy’s attorneys hope to raise &u0024;100,000 in one month. → Read More
Arrest of Portland Club Owner Highlights Complex Rules Separating Weed and Booze
Maria Toth owns what seems the perfect venue for a party celebrating Oregon’s legalization of recreational marijuana. Her central eastside nightclub, Refuge PDX, boasts 7,100 square feet, a spacious dance floor, a stage and a bar. It sits just a few blocks from the Morrison Bridge, right across the river from downtown Portland. Most importantly—at … Continue reading Arrest of Portland Club Owner… → Read More
Million-Dollar Fraud Lawsuit Shakes The State’s Pot Power Structure
It’s ironic that Leah and Travis Maurer face legal jeopardy for allegedly not growing marijuana. Travis Maurer moved to Portland after a 2013 felony conviction for growing pot in Missouri. He and his wife, Leah, organized a campaign team and secured funding for the 2014 ballot measure that successfully legalized recreational weed in Oregon. Last … Continue reading Million-Dollar Fraud Lawsuit… → Read More
Sue Stahl to Run for City Commissioner Against Steve Novick
Sue Stahl, a longtime Portland advocate for people with disabilities, declared Tuesday she’s running against City Commissioner Steve Novick. Stahl has served on the Portland Commission on Disability since 2010, and is vice president of its Accessibility in the Built Environment subcommittee. She has pressed the city of Portland for years to comply more quickly … Continue reading Sue Stahl to Run… → Read More
Nike-Sponsored Portland Bike Share, “BikeTown,” Will Have 1,000 Bicycles
It took Portland four years to find a sponsor willing to peddle its bike-share program. But city officials have landed a big fish to put its name on the bikes: Nike. And that means a lot more bicycles. The Portland Bureau of Transportation and Nike this morning unveiled their deal for a sponsored bike-share program … Continue reading Nike-Sponsored Portland Bike Share, “BikeTown,” Will Have… → Read More
Audit Says Oregon Employment Department Computer Systems Should Be Replaced
A new state audit says the Oregon Employment Department needs to replace the computer systems that process unemployment benefits and taxes. The audit focuses on two systems, the Oregon Benefit Information System (OBIS), which processes unemployment benefits, and the Oregon Automated Tax System (OATS), which deals with unemployment tax reports from employers. The audits division, … Continue… → Read More
Portland Gas & Coke Building Makes National Top-Five List of Architectural Losses
A national building-preservation nonprofit has ranked the tearing down of the Portland Gas & Coke Building as one of the five most significant architectural losses of 2015. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, has released its 2015 list of “10 Preservation Wins and Losses.” One of the losses: The 102-year-old structure … Continue reading Portland Gas… → Read More